Deal with violent secessionists - NDC, PPP urge government

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) have called on the security agencies to deal with the violent activities of the secessionist groups to preserve the stability and sovereignty of the country.

The two parties have also asked Ghanaians to stay united and preserve the unity of the country.

The calls were contained in separate statements signed by the National Chairman of the NDC, Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, and the National Secretary of the PPP, Paa Kow Ackon.

NDC

In its statement, the NDC called on Ghanaians to come together to preserve the national unity and stability currently being enjoyed as the country prepared for the 2020 general elections.

It urged the government and the security agencies to deal with perpetrators of the recent secessionist activities in the Volta and parts of Eastern regions.

It said the sequence of events cumulatively constituted a threat to national peace, unity, territorial integrity and the sovereignty of the country.

The statement said the party was alarmed by the significant deterioration of the national security situation in spite of earlier threats and clear warning signals they had issued.

Suspicion

The NDC said although it believed there was already evidence to suggest calculated efforts to cause fear and panic in those parts of the country, "we do not want to believe that the inaction of the President and the National Security Council is deliberate and calculated at achieving a sinister political motive, including the suppression of votes in the NDC’s stronghold, the Volta Region.

“There is already sufficient apprehension caused by these events that suggest the complicity of officialdom to cause fear and human insecurity in that part of the country as a justification for an intimidating security presence; the type which was witnessed during the voters’ registration exercise only a few months ago,” it said.

 Nana Ofori Owusu — PPP Chairman
PPP

For its part, the PPP appealed to all those involved in the secessionist agenda to reject armed rebellion and rather engage in dialogue to spare the country of any further disturbances in the Volta Region.

“We are convinced that genuine and inclusive dialogue, based on respect for the Constitution, will best enable the stakeholders to find a consensual solution to the crisis, preserve peace, consolidate our democracy and the rule of law,” the party said.

Unity of Ghana

The PPP statement said the unity of the country had been the collective strength of Ghanaians, and that no part of the country could develop without another.

It said development must, therefore, be distributed equally to all parts of the country for the benefit of all citizens and not just a few.

“What has happened presents an opportunity for the government to resuscitate its one-district, one-factory promise to provide jobs for the youth, which has been comatose for years,” it stated.

Perpetrators

While condemning all acts of unlawful violence committed by illegal armed groups, the statement noted that the PPP expected that perpetrators of such dastardly acts would be brought to justice, adding that, “It is trite learning that the inability of leadership to deal forcefully with acts of indiscipline, vandalism and what has come to be termed as vigilantism has also encouraged the impunity with which some people act.”

It noted that despite numerous assurances by the government that it was on top of the security situation, the country was caught unawares when armed members of the Homeland Study Group Foundation attacked two police stations at Aveyime and Mepe, kidnapped three police officers, broke into the police armoury and stole a number of firearms and other equipment.

“This clearly points to a weakness in our security architecture and poor intelligence gathering system and its usage. We believe that there is a direct link among corruption, insecurity and patriotism.

“The guns and ammunition used by these secessionists come through our borders and road blocks. The secessionists live among us and because of lack of patriotism, we do not report their activities to the authorities,” it stated.

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